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Letter: Environmental data and the 'Internet of Things'

Chemical Spill West Virginia

Emma Del Torto of Charleston, W.Va., holds a sign during a demonstration at the state Capitol on Jan.18. More than 100 people gathered to question their tap water's quality following a chemical spill that tainted the local water supply.
(John Raby/Associated Press)

It seems we are entering an age when environmental catastrophes could be monitored as closely as movie stars’ Twitter feeds. Whether environmental agencies will take advantage of these advances to better monitor our drinking water is a different story.

Water monitoring programs have traditionally not been well-coordinated. The technology to connect data collection to quality control to published output is so new that most monitoring programs today are not set up to use it. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, with funding and support from the Environmental Protection Agency, has done the most to get data flowing with its Pacific Northwest Water Quality Data Exchange, but inter-agency data sharing is almost non-existent. There does seem to be a growing recognition in Oregon that this has to change.

Last year’s state budget included an extra $2 million directed to support “enterprise monitoring.” DEQ Director Dick Pedersen is now leading the intergovernmental group addressing the issue. The U.S. Geological Survey is also investing in improved data-sharing through its Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership, where they’re developing the standards and tools required to aggregate environmental data.

If the “Internet of Things” really does create $9 trillion in annual sales by 2020, applying this new technology to environmental monitoring could become big business.

Environmental science would make a significant leap forward in its visibility and delivery of ecological indicators. This could turn out to be a watershed, “reach across the aisle” moment where ecological protection and business development connect with our drinking water supplies. All of us would benefit.